


Just Sit Down!

by happyaspie



Series: Tony Stark is a Good Mentor [42]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Corona Virus - Freeform, Family Fluff, Homework, May Parker is a Nurse, Mentions of Minecraft, Not Canon Compliant, Pandemics, Peter Parker Wants To Help, Peter Parker is Going Stir-Crazy, Peter Parker is a Mess, Raising Morale, Self Isolation, Sleepy Cuddles, Some Humor, Stay Safe and Don't Forget To Wash Your Hands, Staying Positive, Superhero Tag, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Being So Patient, Tony Stark is a Good Mentor, self quarantine, social distancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23235136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyaspie/pseuds/happyaspie
Summary: Peter Parker is a man... well,teenagerof action.  Therefore he and 'social distancing' don't exactly mix and he's about to drive Tony up a wall.  The good news is he's able to come up with a plan that will undoubtedly wear his kid out.Or:The Corona Virus inspired fiction that nobody asked for.Oh, and, just a heads up, this story ends with obligatory sleepy cuddles.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark is a Good Mentor [42]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1397362
Comments: 24
Kudos: 375





	Just Sit Down!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope every single of you are well and that no one is offended by this story because I am a tiny bit legit. concerned about that. I know this is extremely serious stuff. I just needed and OUTLET and then wanted to share it with you.

From the moment the virus, _the pandemic_ , hit the United States, May immediately started talking precations. One of which was making sure that Peter was being careful while on his patrols. No diving into crowds, cleaning his hands regularly and washing his suit after every single use. Peter complained that she was being overprotective. Insisting that they had no proof that he could get sick at all but being a nurse, she didn't relent. They didn't know enough about his immune system to be sure that he couldn't catch this particular virus and even if he couldn't, he could still spread it. Being cautious was the best course of action. 

  
Later when things began to spread, the local and national governments decided that social distancing was the best way to slow the progression and prevent the healthcare systems from being overwhelmed. That meant that events were being canceled, the schools were being closed and businesses were beginning to move towards a 'curb-side pickup model'... it not temporarily closing their doors altogether. 

At that time, May was the first to volunteer to take on extra shifts at the hospital. Especially as some of her co-workers began having to navigate through a sudden need for child care or had fallen ill themselves. She didn't mind the extra work, it was hard but it was also fulfilling. The problem was that it didn't take long after the first major influx of patients for the hospital's supply of personal protection equipment to begin to run frighteningly low. That didn't stop her from pressing forward. She knew she was part of the frontline. People's lives were in her hands. That wasn't to say that she wasn't worried. In order to prevent the possibility of bringing the virus home to Peter, she did the next most responsible thing she could think of. She sent him to stay with Tony and she knew she was extremely lucky to have that sort of an option for her nephew. Many families didn't.

  
Having Peter stay at the tower actually eased most of May's major concerns. Not only did it reduce the possibility of her passing the virus on to him, should she be directly exposed, it also meant that he would be well fed. Getting enough supplies to properly feed an enhanced teenager during a time when people were buying in bulk out of fear was difficult. That wasn't a problem for Tony. He always had a large supply of everything stocked up at the tower. It came from housing several heroes, including a super-soldier. However, she also relieved to know that the man would be available to make sure that Peter didn't try to sneak out as she knew he was itching to do. 

  
Tony was, as expected, quick to accommodate. He even made sure to have May's kitchen stocked for her. She tried to refuse but he simply waved her off. Saying that he'd already made several large donations to various community food pantries and created a few helpful programs of his own to support the at-risk communities. Supplying her with two weeks' worth of frozen dinners and canned goods that he already had laying around was nothing. "Besides, you're really helping me out. The team is sort of spread out across the country, Pepper's stuck overseas for the time being and the penthouse is entirely too quiet.", he said, not really knowing at the time, what exactly he'd signed up for.

  
~o~o~o~o~o~

  
By day five of being completely banned from Spidering at both May and Tony's insistence, Peter was starting to go a little bit stir-crazy. He'd not used his web-shooters or any of his spider-powers during that entire time and he had so much pent up energy that he could feel himself vibrating. "I need to get out.", he randomly jumped up and announced after having been jittering in place for the past twenty minutes while Tony watched the news.

  
"No, you don't. Sit down.", Tony casually stated before flipping the channel to something a little more upbeat. 

  
"I can't sit down. There're... things I could be doing out there.", Peter retorted as he began to pace. 

  
Tony hummed in response. "Like what?", he asked despite knowing the answer. He knew the kid was going nuts from sitting around. A daily jog at the nearby park wasn't enough. Not when he was having to go at a leisurely human pace. 

  
"I don't know! _Things_!", Peter snapped but felt instantly sorry for having done so. Taking a deep breath he looked longingly out the window and sighed. "Stopping crime. The usual."

  
"There's nobody out there, kiddo. ...and the police are already taking precautions to help handle any kind of mass panic.", Tony helpfully supplied but the boy didn't look convinced, instead, he went back to pacing the room and periodically sighing. 

  
Eventually, Peter paused in front of where his mentor was sitting and began to chew on his thumbnail. "Maybe I could help buy groceries for the elderly or something.", he suggested because that sounded reasonable. He could swing around the city and deliver necessities to people who otherwise shouldn't be out. That would allow him to really move while helping the community. 

  
"Stark Industries funded an emergency drone delivery service for that very purpose. It's free, highly advertised and my understanding is that it's getting a lot of use.", Tony replied and steeled himself for an argument that never came. Instead, the kid when back to pacing. Then, the pacing turned into digging around in the kitchen and before he knew it, the boy was back in front of him.

  
"We're out of pudding, Mr. Stark. I should go out and get some.", Peter stated matter-of-factly, shifted his weight as he spoke. 

  
"Pete... I have enough food to feed me, you, May and a small army for the next three months, you'll be fine for the next two or three weeks.", Tony said in exasperation. A lack of pudding was not even slightly on his radar. Lack of coffee might have gotten his attention but he knew better than that. The coffee he liked was delivered to his door, in bulk, on a monthly basis. Not to mention the backup supply he kept in the back of the freezer. "Don't you have some homework you can sit down to do?"

  
Midtown had turned to digital learning for the duration of the preventative period and posted assignments daily. Extensive ones. Yet, Peter had managed to blow through them in record time. "I finished it already.", he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

  
Throwing his hand up in mild annoyance, Tony rolled his eyes. Of course, the kid was done with his homework. "Well, call Ned or do that Discord gaming thingy that you do. _Just sit down, kid!_ "

  
"We did that already today", peter complained as he began to absentmindedly bounce on his toes. "You can only play so much Minecraft, Mr. Stark."

  
Tony huffed a laugh. "Really because it wasn't that long ago you were all, ' _...but there are bees now, Mr. Stark._..', when I asked you put the game down for ten minutes to help me with something in the lab.", he playfully mocked. He really didn't understand the fascination with the game and this was coming from a man who's entire generation had thrived on clunky plastic cartridges and boxy eight-bit characters.

  
Crossing his arms in front of him, Peter, sighed and then reluctantly plopped down into a chair only to then relentlessly tap his foot on the hardwood floor. "I have a short attention span, Mr. Stark. The bees are no longer of interest.", he proclaimed and then immediately stood up to continue his aimless wandering.

  
"Do you want to go down to the workshop?", Tony asked next. Even if they had run out of things to do as far as Spider-suit updates go, there was always an abundance of half-finished projects down there to look at. He sort of hoped that he could get the kid's brain working and that would, in turn, temporarily cease to the _whining_. "We can do whatever you want as long as you _stop pacing_. You're going to wear a hole in my carpet. _Sit down!"_

  
"Why can't I go out as Spider-man, Mr. Stark?", Peter pleaded, not really expecting any kind of surprising answer. He'd already asked that question multiple times over the last few days and the response wasn't likely to have changed. 

  
"You know why, kid.", Tony warningly returned causing the boy to grunt in frustration and then turn back towards the large windows. It was as though the sly line was calling his name. No screaming. The skyline was screaming his name.

  
"What if I just swing around for like, an hour and then back. No direct peopling.", Peter begged, hoping that was enough of a compromise. While he missed talking to his many neighbors, shaking hands and playing with all the children in the streets but he _did_ understand. He was just aching to get out. Like he would suffocate soon if he didn't.

  
Rolling his eyes, Tony sat up taller in his seat and pointed an accusatory finger towards the pouting teenager. "Right. Do you think you can just sit there and lie to me like that? _I've met you_ and there is zero chance of you going out in that suit and _not_ talking to every single person you come across."

  
"I promise, Mr. Stark!", Peter nearly shouted but his mentor remained placid.

  
"Nope.", Tony causally countered but when it looked like the kid might actually _start to cry_ he relented. Just a little. It wasn't that he had any real problem with Spider-man going out to swing the afternoon away. The problem was he didn't trust the teenager behind the mask to not dive right into the middle of the first crowd he spotted. He required supervision and he supposed that _technically_ he could offer that. "What if I go with you?", he proposed.

  
Narrowing his eyes, Peter tried to decide what the man had meant by that. "Like... as my sidekick?", he asked, feigning confusion. 

  
"Iron Man is nobody's sidekick, Spider-boy.", Tony impassively asserted. "I'm going as your--"

  
"--Equal?", Peter pipped up with a wide smile. He knew that was definitely not what the man was going to say either but he was sure his mentor's reaction would be nothing less than entertaining and he desperately needed some entertainment. 

  
"That's cute, Pete but no.", Tony said with a smirk. "I'm going as your Superhero mentor or what have you.", he flippantly declared before turning the television off completely. _Apparently his spider-child required another, more vigorous walk._

  
Peter stood by the window and quietly contemplated the offer. It didn't really take that long for him to decide that the plan, though vague was good enough for him. If it meant getting to use his web-shooters, that was all he needed to hear. That didn't make him any less curious about what the man had in mind, though. "That's cool. What are we going to do?"

  
"Oh, I have a few ideas.", Tony said with a grin.

  
Within the next thirty minutes, the two for them were suited up and on top of the building. While Peter hopped in place Tony stood there rapidly typing something into his phone. "What are you doing?", Peter asked as he tried to see over the man's shoulder. "I thought we were going to actually do something."

  
For several seconds the man didn't dignify the question but when he did he was smiling triumphantly. "There we go. ...Now you can swing around and get your crazies out while doing something nice.", he stated before turning his phone so that Peter could read his latest tweet. ' _Bored inside? Spider-man and I are about to hit the skies for some practice. Enjoy the show from your windows._ ', it read and tagged several specific locations including the nearby children's hospital.

  
"That... is a really cool idea, Mr. Stark!", Peter giddily exclaimed.

  
"It was one of my more genius plans.", Tony said with a flourish of his armored hand. "Now, let's get going, that's a lot of ground to cover.", he added, engaging his faceplate and then subsequently shooting a mild repulsor beam directly between the kid's feet calling out, "Tag, you're it!", before taking off into the sky.

  
"Hey! I wasn't ready, Mr. Stark!", Peter laughed as his mentor hovered tauntingly above him. Though, before he had the chance to gather his thoughts or shoot a web towards the nearest building the man was swooping back towards him.

  
"You coming or what, Spider-kid?", Tony said, holding out his hand with the intention of taking another shot but before it could go off, Peter managed to get his witts about him and shot a web towards the man's outstretched hand. Completely undaunted by his now web covered palm, Tony didn't change his position. Instead, he raised his face-plate and smiled. "Nice try, Spiderling.", he calmly replied right before the repulsor went off, burning right through the webs and hitting peter right on the heels as he had already begun to run towards the edge of the rooftop.

  
They continued to soar through the city, playing their superhero version of tag while people cheered them on from their windows and balconies. Some of them wearing their hero of choice's colors while others held up signs to show support. Although, Peter's favorite part of the entire chaotic outing was climbing up the side of the children's hospital and waving to the kids as they sat up in their beds giggling whenever Tony would zap him in the rear. It was probably the most fun he'd had in a really long time.

  
By the time they had hit all of the spots that Tony had promised they would appear in, Peter was actually tired. Not exhausted but comfortably worn out. So, when the man told him it was time to head back to shower and eat he was more than willing to go. 

  
"That was really awesome, Mr. Stark. Like, I can't remember the last time I've ever been able to play with anyone like that.", Peter sighed out as they sat together at the kitchen counter eating dinner. After the spider bite, any and all rowdy antics had come to a rapid halt. It wasn't like he could wrestle around with Ned. He had super- strength and didn't want to hurt him. Yet, it had never crossed his mind that maybe Tony or even Steve would willingly rough-house with him. Sparring, jogging, team practice, those could be fun sometimes but they weren't the same thing. 

  
"Yeah? Well, I'm glad you had a good time, Buddy.", Tony said. He'd not really considered that end of the exercise. His goal had been to allow the kid to wear himself out using his spider-powers without putting himself or others at risk. He'd had no idea that when he'd chosen to turn the whole thing it into a game, that he'd be filling a hole that he never knew existed. "I think the people watching had a good time too."

  
Nodding his head, Peter smiled. He thought about all the families that had come outside to see what the ruckus was about then stood on their balconies laughing and yelling, back and forth towards each other as they watched the action. He thought about how they were enjoying each other's company without going against any social distancing suggestions and how happy everyone looked while doing so. "It was sort of cool to see everyone being excited together even though they were still apart.", he mused between bites of spaghetti.

  
"We gave them something fun to focus on for a little while.", Tony acknowledged. He'd not expected the impromptu air show to go over quite as well as it had but then again people had been confined to their homes for a while at that point. No school, no concerts, even the libraries were off-limits. They'd needed a pick-me-up beyond a computer screen. An excuse to interact with their neighborhood at a distance. 

  
"Can we do it again, Mr. Stark?", Peter asked as he began to clear the table. He wasn't sure exactly how much longer they would have to all be inside but he hoped to have the chance to lift the city's spirits again. That and the game had been fun. Laughing, goofing off and scuffling without having to worry about hurting anyone had been amazing.

  
"At some point.", Tony agreed with a smile. He could handle that and honestly, he had already decided that after everything had settled, that he would occasionally take the kid out just to play around as they had. Peter had made it very clear that having someone to horse around with had been something he'd been missing and it had been fun for him too. It would also come off as good publicity. Two superheroes working in tandem to brighten the lives of the people around them but mostly the former. "In the meantime, what do you want to do now? Lab or movie?"

  
"Movie.", Peter readily replied as he darted across the room and flipped solidly into the large chair beside the window. "They released some new ones to digital early since the movie theaters are closed. Like Onward, Frozen Two and most importantly, the newest Star Wars movie."

"Of course, Star Wars.", Tony replied with a roll of his eyes but settled down on the couch all the same. 

They sat on the sperate pieces of furniture for the duration of the first movie but by the time they had started into their second, Peter was growing tired. Eventually, he got up from the chair he'd been curled up in and wandered over to sit directly beside Tony on the couch. That way he could stretch out a little more. Though as more time passed he found himself leaning more heavily into the man's side and his head resting snuggly on the man's shoulder.

  
Looking down at the kid who finally seemed to be more at peace than he had been for the last several days, he smiled. "You know we're supposed to be practicing social distancing.", teased said while nudging Peter's head with a shrug of his occupied shoulder. It wasn't that boy had never sat with him like that before or that he really minded, so much as he just wanted to give him a hard time. It was fun.

  
"I live with you.", Peter reason, without bothering to move an inch. He was comfortable and sitting closely beside someone that you were actively sharing space with was to be expected.

  
"You live with _your aunt_.", Tony counted with a chuckle. Though he did realize that the kid spent more than a good bit of time living with him as well. Even before the short term change in his primary residence. 

  
Peter looked up and grinned. "Not right now I don't.", he sing-songed before pulling the blanket off of the back of the couch.

  
"Whatever.", Tony returned with a fond roll of his eyes. "At least your _sitting down_."


End file.
